P.E.I. banning cosmetic pesticides

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The P.E.I. government intends to ban the sale of cosmetic pesticides starting in 2010.

Environment Minister Richard Brown told CBC News Friday that regulations are being drawn up, and they will be straightforward.

"A ban is a ban. Those products will not be allowed to be sold on P.E.I.," said Brown.

"We're not putting it in this year, because the owners of all the stores and all the big shopping areas have purchased their inventory, and we're saying we're not going to ban it for this year, but you're on notice for next year."

Brown said Islanders were very clear about what they wanted, in their presentations to a legislative committee looking into lawn chemicals in 2007. The Island government is working with Ontario and New Brunswick, as well, to come up with common regulations so people aren't driving over the bridge to buy pesticides.

Katherine Dewar of the P.E.I. Environmental Health Co-operative, one of the groups that's been pushing for a ban, welcomed the news.

"This is a no-brainer. You don't need cosmetic pesticides. There's no rationale to say that they're needed, because you can have good lawns without cosmetic pesticides," said Dewar.

"If you can take this kind of pollutant out of the air, the water and the soil, it's a very easy thing for people to do. It's just the sensible thing to do."

The new rules will be introduced during the upcoming sitting of the legislature. Agricultural chemicals will not be included in the ban.